


After all this time

by superpotterdiaries27



Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-04
Updated: 2013-11-08
Packaged: 2017-12-31 12:08:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 14,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1031549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/superpotterdiaries27/pseuds/superpotterdiaries27
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He hadn't seen Damon in years since that one fateful night. But Elena's phone call about Damon dying was bound to change that. Damon/Alaric.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money by writing this story.

The phone ringing woke him up out of his dream. He didn't want to pick it up but knew he had to. Whoever it was would keep calling him. He slid out of bed careful not to wake up the woman in his bed. He couldn't remember her name. Sarah, was it? Or maybe her name was Sally. It definitely started with an S.

He threw on some jeans and opened his cell phone.

"Hello, Alaric Saltzman speaking." He rubbed his eyes and tried to withhold his yawn.

"Ric, we need your help." A young woman's voice was heard.

"Who's this?" Alaric hadn't been in close contact with any of his old friends for a while now. 

"It's me, Ric. Look, we really need your help." She said. Her voice, though young, held a lot of wisdom and tiredness to it, as if she had lived for too long even though she hadn't lived nearly enough.

Then it hit him.

"Elena?!" He asked in a shocked voice.

"It's me, Ric. Look, we really need your help." She was getting annoyed. It was one o'clock in the morning and she hadn't even gone to sleep. She had to make sure that no one knew that she was calling Alaric.

"With what exactly do you need my help  _at 2 in the morning_?" He sounded exasperated. All he wanted to do was go back to sleep, snuggle up and maybe in a few hours, convince her to have another round. She was a warm body anyway and they would forget about each other the next day.

"We need your help with Damon." She said. The name stirred up something in his stomach that he wished he wouldn't feel anymore. He didn't give a rats ass about  _him_  anymore.

"Elena, as much as I would like to help, I do have a life here and am quite content on keeping it that way." He said.

"He's dying, Ric." She whispered.

"What? Why?" He couldn't wrap his head around Elena's statement.

"Look, I didn't want to say anything on the phone but you asked. We need your help here in Mystic Falls." She was getting tired and really wanted to go to bed. On top of that, she didn't want Jeremy or  _god forbid_ , Stefan to find out whom she was talking to if they were to wake up. They weren't as on board with the idea of calling Alaric for help as she was.

"Elena, what's wrong with Damon? Why is he dying?" He wondered what could've happened to Damon in the time that he was gone.

"Please come to Mystic Falls." She said, ignoring his question.

"You didn't answer my question."

"We'll explain it once you're here." He sighed. This girl never gave up.

"Fine Elena, I'll take the next plane out. See you soon." They said their good-byes and he hung up his phone.

He packed his bag and left a note and a spare key for the woman to lock up once she woke up. Once everything was packed and ready, he took the taxi to the nearest airport and booked his flight.

 _I bet everyone can't wait to see me._ He thought wryly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from writing this story.

As the plane landed, he thought about how his sudden arrival would affect the people of Mystic Falls. Furthermore, he wondered whether he should've called Elena to let her know when he would arrive.

He bit back a yawn. Sitting between two wailing children deprived him of the luxury of taking a nap. Deep down, he knew that he probably wouldn't have been able to fall sleep anyway. He buried thoughts of fear and nervousness to the back of his head and grabbed his bag.

There was no need to worry about how he was going to get to Elena's, he realized once he walked out of the gates. Alaric noticed Elena standing with a sign that had his name written in huge letters. Stefan was standing next to her wearing an unreadable expression. He seemed to be fidgeting too, as if he was uncertain as how to act.  _Now or Never._ He thought as he walked over to them.

"Hey Ric, it's good to see." Elena said and nudged Stefan with her elbow. Though the jab obviously didn't hurt Stefan, it caught his attention.

"Yeah um… good to see you, Ric." Stefan muttered and linked his fingers with Elena's. Alaric smiled. It was good to see that things between Elena and Stefan hadn't changed at all. For a few minutes, he thought that they would just be standing in an awkward silence when something caught his eye. Both Elena and Stefan had rings on.

"When did that happen?" He asked nodding his head toward the rings on their linked hands.

"Oh Stefan proposed a few weeks ago." Elena's face brightened as she talked about the proposal.

"We haven't set a date yet. Things have been hectic, what with Damon being sick." Stefan finally got out of his trance.

"Oh well, congrats."

He ignored the comment about Damon; guilt may claw at your heart but it wouldn't get you anywhere.

"So what's the plan?" Alaric asked.

"Well I was going to find a place that doesn't serve crappy food in this airport." Elena stated and before Alaric could blink, she was gone.

"Aren't you guys…" Alaric trailed off.

"Vampires?" Stefan asked amused. As an after-thought he added, "Yes but good food can be appreciated once in a while. Not like it makes a difference to our bodies."

"Oh I see." Alaric responded even though he clearly didn't see.

Within minutes, Elena returned saying that there was a good pizza place in which they could eat. So with that, the three of them took off.

Once they were given a table and placed their orders, Elena's cell phone rang and she excused herself from the table. There was yet again another awkward silence. Alaric decided to try to break the silence.

"So how's school been?" He asked

"As great as school can be." Stefan said. Alaric knew the feeling. Though he was a teacher and not a student, there were days that he dreaded school the same way that his students did.

"You're going to the same college as Elena, right?"

The conversation wasn't going anywhere.

"Yep." Stefan simply answered. Where was Elena and what had happened to Stefan? Alaric remembered there was a time when he could talk to Stefan without there being any problems.

"Listen Ric, I know that Elena told you that Damon isn't looking too hot but I don't know if you know the extent of the situation." So this was what Stefan's hostility had been about.

"Well she told me that he was dying. She didn't exactly have the time to explain to me the details." Alaric said.

"Well, then I should warn you- he...he isn't himself." Stefan said.

"I think I can handle it." Alaric swatted at the bug that flew by buzzing.

"Look, I know you had a falling out back then. I won't pry you to tell me what happened that night because god knows neither of us wants to have another awkward conversation. All I'm saying is that I hope you can get past that when you see him and try to help us with his problem."

"I can't promise anything but I'll try my best."

The food arrived but Alaric wasn't hungry anymore.

Elena came back apologizing for leaving. The rest of the conversation went by smoothly. They talked about college and their plans for the future. Elena told him how wonderful it was that she was going to be finishing college soon and how she was thinking of applying to grad school while working. Stefan said that after centuries of going to different high schools, he was finally graduating college. Though he knew the sight and smell of blood would be a challenge for him, he was thinking about going to med school.

After they finished their food, they left the restaurant. Compelling the waitress not to charge them anything earned Elena a judging glare from Stefan and a reprimand from Alaric. Elena smirked and simply said, "Hey, being a vampire has got its perks."

Alaric smiled. He had heard that somewhere before. After a few seconds of trying to pinpoint exactly where he had heard it, his blood ran cold. That used to be Damon's catch phrase.

After making sure everything was loaded into Stefan's car, Alaric opened the car door and slid in the backseat.

 _I wonder how he'll react to seeing me again._ Alaric thought as they drove down the highway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Please review.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from writing this story.

As they drew closer to the boarding house, Alaric couldn't help but feel nervous. He was uncertain as to how Damon would react to his arrival. As Stefan parked the car, Alaric crossed his fingers unthinkingly.

 _Why am I acting like a schoolgirl? I'm a grown man!_  Alaric scolded himself in his head and uncrossed his fingers. He noticed that Stefan and Elena were looking at him as if he had grown a second hand. He realized that he must've freaked them out when he was having a conversation with himself in his head.

"Well, we're here." Stefan and Elena climbed out of the car.

"Oh.. um.. right." He opened the door, climbed out of the car, and grabbed his bag out of the trunk. The beep-beep sound he heard signified that Stefan had locked the car and they all headed to the door. Elena unlocked the front door and let them in. She told them that she had to get to an important class and had to leave.

Stefan kissed her on the cheek and told her to be safe. The latter part of course earned him an eye-roll. Nevertheless, Elena kissed him back and then left.

"Damon, we're home. " Stefan yelled and moved to the kitchen to take out a blood-bag.

"There's no reason to yell, little bro. I'm still a vampire." Damon appeared in the kitchen within seconds. It seems that in his super-speed walk to the kitchen, he hadn't noticed Alaric in the living room.

"And just to make sure you remember that I am still a vampire, I'm going to take that for myself." Damon reached for the blood-bag that was in Stefan's hand. Stefan reached to get it back but his reflexes weren't as quick as Damon's.

"Fuck you, that was my last one. And, don't call me 'little bro'." Stefan scowled at Damon.

Damon simply smirked at him and said, "There's no such thing as a last one, Stef. We can always go compel people for blood."

"There is if it's you." Stefan said. A part of Stefan knew the possibility of losing his brother forever was high but so far he had pushed it to the back of his head and tried to ignore it.

"Don't remind me, Stefan. I'd like to live my last days the way I want to. Anyway, we can always ask Meredith for more blood. Remember her deal?" Damon asked bitterly.

Stefan did remember. As long as none of the residents were hurt in Mystic Falls and Meredith received a little bit of blood here and there to help her patients, she allowed them access to the blood-bags in the hospital. He couldn't, however, remember why his brother seemed to really hate her.

"Why do you hate her, Damon?" Stefan asked curiously.

"I don't hate her, I just strongly dislike her. It goes both ways." Damon answered him.

"But why?" Stefan pushed.

"Have you been watching Gossip Girl again? I tell you, that show's going to turn you into a girl one of these days." Damon said smirking.

"That was one time, Damon." Stefan said annoyed.

"Actually it was two times. And, you're just better off not knowing so just drop it. " Damon said. It seemed that Stefan was going to reply but never got to.

Alaric noticed that Damon's vampire instincts were still sharp because the second he decided to finally move from his half-frozen posture, Damon was in front of him ready to throw a punch.

"What the fuck?" Damon asked angrily lowered his hand.

"Hi." Alaric seemed to manage one word before stepping backwards in fear. Alaric looked at Stefan, as if trying to tell him something telepathically. It seemed that Damon noticed the unspoken communication between the vampire and the human because he then narrowed his eyes.

"Would you mind telling me why  _he's_  standing in our living room?" Damon asked.

"You see, I was going to tell you about that." Stefan stated nervously. S _hit, what was he going to say now?_

"Please tell me how you were going to explain  _him_ standing in our living room?" Alaric noticed that Damon wasn't referring to him by name.

"Well..umm…you see…" Stefan scratched his neck. Damon was going to kill him.

"No I don't really see." Damon answered.

"Elena called and told me that you were dying and asked me to fly out." Alaric stated.

"So you flew out to see my dying ass after six years of silence and laugh it off. How sweet of you, Alaric." Alaric cringed inwardly. He should've known that Damon would be hostile.

"No actually, I came here to try to help with your problem." Alaric countered Damon's statement.

"I bet you did. Now please leave. As much fun as it has been, I really don't need this right now."

"Damon, I came here because I wanted to help you, not to laugh at you." Alaric said.

"That's just so sweet of you, Alaric." Alaric wondered if Damon would ever refer to him as 'Ric' ever again.

"Damon, I'm sor-" Before he could finish his sentence, Damon grabbed him by the collar of his jacket.

"No, you don't get to say you're sorry or any of your other bullshit. You chose to leave. It wasn't the other way. " Damon growled.

"Damon let go of him." Stefan said gently.

After a few seconds, Damon let Alaric go and grabbed his jacket.

"Since I sense that neither of you are planning to leave, I'll escort myself out." Damon stated.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea, Damon?" Stefan asked quietly, quirking his eyebrows together

"You know, maybe you should think abut the ideas that pop in your head and if they're good ones or not. I mean, you have to have a brain somewhere in there." And with that, Damon stormed out of the boarding house.

 _Well that went well._ Alaric thought as he heard the door slam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Please review.  
> Thank You.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from writing this story.

Once Damon was out of earshot, Alaric bombarded Stefan with the many questions that plagued his mind.

"Where's he going?" Alaric asked.

"Glad you're finally able to speak again. Probably the Grill." Stefan answered.

"Shut up. Didn't you say he was dying?" Alaric asked. Damon didn't look like he was dying. Actually, he looked quite the opposite. Still young and handsome as ever.

"He is dying." Stefan said.

"Then why the fuck doesn't he look it?" Alaric asked.

"He was hit by a curse." Stefan said.

"A what?" Alaric asked dumbly.

"A curse. You know, spells and witches and warlocks?" Stefan asked.

"What kind of curse is it?" Alaric asked wondering.

"It's called the 'pain of the life' . " Stefan answered Alaric's question.

"What in the fuck is that? Alaric asked.

"It means that Damon slowly becomes human and is destined to feel the pains that humans feel. After a while, the pain is supposed to become too much and drive him to insanity and eventual death" Stefan stated.

"So how long does he have left?" Alaric asked suddenly feeling sick.

"We don't know. So far he's only been coughing once in a while. But other than that, he's fine."

"So do you know any way of how to fix this?" Alaric asked.

"We were trying to find something that could reverse the spell." Stefan said.

"Did you ask Bonnie?" Alaric asked.

"Yes we did and she tried to find something but she couldn't and can't really help us anymore because she lost a lot of her powers by trying to find a counter spell."

"Well, I guess we have to find the witch who cursed him." Alaric said.

"That's what've been working on. So far, nothing. Elena had help from Caroline and Tyler and they couldn't find her." Stefan said.

"What about Damon? " Alaric asked.

"What about him?" Stefan asked confused as to why Alaric was asking about him.

"Well, he could search for the witch." Alaric stated the obvious.

"We've been trying to keep him near in case of anything. So we don't really want him to go off anywhere by himself. "

"Stefan, Damon's 170 years old. I think he could handle himself. And also, you just let him go out to the Grill. " Alaric resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"I was actually going to go get him right now." Stefan said taking his jacket out of the closet.

"Actually Stefan, I thought maybe I could go after him." Alaric asked hoping.

"It's at your own risk, Ric." Stefan warned him.

With that, Alaric grabbed the spare key that Stefan gave him and walked out of the house.

 _I bet he'll be so happy to see me at the Grill._ Alaric thought sarcastically as he walked down the street.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Please review


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from writing this story.

Walking down the street to the Grill, Alaric braced himself for what was to come. He knew that Damon was pissed off and a pissed off Damon was dangerous. "Damon doesn't get mad, he gets even." Though Alaric had not witnessed what had happened to prompt Stefan to say that, he couldn't help but concede. He counted to three before opening the door to the Mystic Falls.

"Haven't seen you in a while." Matt greeted him.

"Yeah, it's been a while, Matt." Alaric answered. He really needed to find Damon before he would do something stupid. That, however, wouldn't happen anytime soon. It seemed that the residents of Mystic Falls always wanted to converse.

"So how have you been?" Matt asked curiously.

"Fine. I see you're still working here."

"Yeah, well it pays the bills. College's expensive, man." Matt said.

"You sure it's college and not that girl of yours?" Alaric teased.

"Bekkah? Nah man, she has a job now." Matt said with a smile on his face.

"Are we talking about the same girl? Blonde vampire Original? Can't stop killing people?"

"Ric, it's been six years since you were here. Things change. Me and her- we have an agreement." Matt ran his fingers through his hair.

"Which is..?" Alaric asked. What could've possibly stopped the most vicious and dangerous predator from enjoying the chase?

"If she wouldn't stop killing people, I would leave her." Matt said.

"And she stopped just because of that?" Alaric didn't believe that was possible.

"Well not exactly. It was a long journey, both for me and for her. But now she uses blood bags." Matt said proudly.

"Wow, some things have changed around here."

"Yeah, they have." Matt agreed and started walking away to help a waiting customer when Alaric called him.

"Any chance you've seen Damon?" He asked hopefully. Matt didn't answer him. Instead he opened his mouth so wide that it looked like his jaw was going to hit the floor. He was staring at the opposite side of the Grill. Alaric turned his head to see what Matt was looking at and almost fell off his chair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:Please review.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making money from writing this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making money from writing this story.

Chapter six

Damon was dancing on the pool table. Well, if you could call  _that_  dancing. It was more like grinding. He was surrounded by two women, who both seemed to have a dazed look in their eyes. They were either drunk or compelled. It didn't matter either way;Damon wasn't safe to be around and Alaric needed to get them out before it was too late.

Alaric noticed that one of them had blood dripping down her neck. The sight revolted him. The girl in question, however, did not seem to care that she had become a meal.

"The fuck is he doing there?" Alaric said and walked angrily toward the pool table.

"I don't know but I hope he gets off that table. If this gets back to my boss, I'll be in deep shit." Matt had followed Alaric and both of them were now standing next to the crowd that had formed around the pool table.

"Oh hey, Ric. What do you think of these lovely ladies?" Damon asked as he took a swig from the bottle of bourbon.

"Damon, get off the pool table." Alaric sighed. How was he going to get Damon to listen to him?

"No can do, Ric. You see, these lovely ladies and I have plans for later. But for now, we're fine with being here." Damon said as he took a bite into the neck of the giggling girl. Alaric had to look away in disgust. He looked at Matt.

"What are you looking at me for? He's your boyfriend. You get him off the table."

"He's not my  _anything_. And you're the one who works here, Matt."

Matt rolled his eyes but grumbled a "fine." He tried to disband the crowd that had formed around Damon and was currently cheering him on. Damon seemed to notice because he turned around with a smirk on his face.

"Don't bother. You see, they've all been compelled. They won't leave unless I ask them to." Damon laughed. The laugh wasn't a genuine one; more like a cynical one.

"Damon, get off the fucking table or I'll ..." Alaric didn't really know what he was going to do if Damon refused to get off the pool table. How do you convince a centuries-old vampire to do something he doesn't want to do?

"You'll do what, exactly?" Damon sniggered and took another swig from the bottle.

"I'll call Stefan." Yep, he hadn't really planned out what his threat was going to be.

"Go ahead and call him. Stefan  _sure_  does scare me." He rolled his eyes.

Alaric racked his head for what he could possibly say.

"I'll leave town if you get off the pool table and uncompel all of this people." He hoped that he sounded convincing because deep down he knew that he wouldn't leave.

"Hmm, let me think about. When will this deal of yours begin?" Damon asked.

"You get off the table, uncompel these people, let those poor girls live and we'll talk."

"Relax, Ric. I was only testing you." It seemed that Damon had drank a bit too much because he was now referring to him as 'Ric.'

Twenty minutes later, the crowd was disbanded and uncompelled. The giggling girls were let go off as well.

"So I guess we should say our good-byes." Damon stated.

"Well my stuff is still at the boarding house so I have to go get it." He was stalling, hoping that Damon wouldn't kill him once he knew that he wasn't actually going to leave town.

"Well then I guess we can walk together." They walked in silence. The silence wasn't awkward though. It wasn't the same silence he had experienced when he was standing in the airport with Stefan. The silence was peaceful; no words were needed.

"We're here, Ric." Damon said and opened the door. Alaric followed him nervously. He didn't know what he was going to do next.

"I guess I'll go get my stuff." He went up the stairs to the guest room in which he knew his duffle would be waiting for him.

He was going to open the door once he got there. That, however, had not occurred. As soon as he came up to the guest room, he heard a crash and his name being called.

Most vampires would probably be impressed with the speed he had run down the stairs. Damon was on the floor. He was holding his head in his hands and writhing in pain.

 _What am I supposed to do now?_  Alaric thought as he knelt down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:Please review.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from writing this story.

Damon was still writhing on the floor when Alaric approached him. Alaric knelt down and cursed the fact that this was the night that Stefan and Elena chose to go out. How was he going to deal with this?

Damon kept shaking. Alaric had to do something.

"Damon, what is it?" He asked hoping Damon would be able to respond.

In response, Damon groaned in pain. Noticing that Damon was gripping his head tightly Alaric tried to withdraw Damon's hands from his head. Damon wouldn't budge and actually screamed when Alaric came closer.

"Damon, I need to come closer to see what's wrong." He said.

Damon wasn't responding.

"Damon, please, I need to see." Alaric tried again.

It was evident that Damon had tried to move away from him but couldn't as he doubled over in more pain.

"Damon, I'm not going to hurt you." Alaric said gently.

After another ten minutes of coaxing the vampire to listen, Damon finally gave in. Alaric came up and took a look at Damon's head.

"Okay, so if I press somewhere and it hurts, just tell me." He looked at Damon for an answer but then realized that the vampire couldn't talk.

"I guess you could just nod, okay?" Alaric asked.

Damon managed a small nod. After a few minutes of looking around, Alaric couldn't find anything wrong. When he poked any part of Damon's head, Damon didn't complain. On the contrary, he just sat there and let Alaric check his head.

"Head hurts." Damon had finally regained the ability to speak.

"Like your head or you have a headache?"

"Headache." Damon gave him a 'duh-what else could it be' look.

"From what could you possibly have a headache, Damon?" He asked.

"Don't know but I sure would love a bottle of Tylenol right now."

"Yeah, just what  _we_  need, a drug addict vampire." He rolled his eyes.

"Who's we?" Damon quirked his eyebrow.

"The town of Mystic Falls. And stop changing the subject."

"I'm not changing the subject. And hey, didn't you say you were going to leave town?"

"I... um.. I-" Alaric looked around the room for inspiration.

"Hey, while you're looking for a plausible execute, I'm going to get some Tylenol." He got up and began to walk only to realize that he couldn't. His head was spinning and if he took another step, the floor would greet him. Alaric managed to move the chair right as Damon fell onto it.

"So what do you think it could've been?"

"Probably the curse." Damon said promptly.

"The what?" Alaric asked.

"I thought Stefan would have told you by now. You know, the curse that the stupid witch put on me."

"But he said that it supposed to make you human and then you would feel pain." Alaric said dumbfounded.

"Not exactly. See every day, I feel intense pain that has to do with some kind of problem that prompts that pain. Eventually, I'm supposed to turn human." Damon explained.

"So the curse prompted the headache?"

"No, it was probably something that I did before that could've caused a headache that most humans feel."

Alaric thought back on the events of the day. All he remembered was the excessive drinking that Damon had done at the Grill.

"Could it be the drinking, Damon?"

"Probably, maybe." Damon shrugged his shoulders.

"But that doesn't make sense, why would you feel so much pain from drinking?" Alaric asked.

"It's supposed to mimic a hangover." Damon said quietly.

"A hangover doesn't leave you writhing on the floor in extreme pain."

"It's an intense hangover. Everything humans feel when they're hurt or unwell, I feel a lot worse." Damon looked around the room. He really wished he could leave the room.

"I'm sorry, Damon." He said. They both knew he wasn't just talking about the headache. 

"Don't, Ric. I..I don't need your pity." Damon said.

"I didn't-" Alaric started saying but Damon interrupted him.

"Can you just get me some Tylenol and help me to my room? A nap sounds just about the perfect ending to this  _wonderful_  day." Damon said.

Alaric got the Tylenol for Damon but made sure to see how much he was taking. He wasn't kidding before; he didn't want to deal with a drug addict vampire. Damon had enough addictions to deal with already.

After Damon drank the Tylenol, Alaric helped him to his feet and they went upstairs to Damon's room. Upon entering Damon's room, Alaric was surprised. The room was clean and neat. There was nothing dark or daunting about it. Alaric helped Damon get to the bed and told him to call him if he needed anything. He was going to open the door when he heard Damon calling his name. He turned around and looked at Damon questioningly.

"I didn't actually want you to leave town, you know?" Damon murmured and then turned over.

Alaric nodded because what else could he possibly do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:Please review


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from this story

Chapter eight

Four days later, Damon was up and about. He looked much better and gave no indication to the fact that he had to endure such horrible pain just a few days before. Alaric, ever so worrisome followed Damon around.

Alaric told himself that he didn't particularly care about Damon. He was in Mystic Falls because he wanted to help Stefan and Elena stop this curse. It wasn't Damon he was concerned about, it was his friends that he cared about. He didn't want to let Elena or Stefan down. He didn't want them to be struck by grief once again. They had lost so many people already. They didn't need to add another person to that list.

So when Stefan called up a meeting about their problem one morning, Alaric immediately jumped up out of bed. He took a shower, got dressed, and went downstairs. He saw Elena and Stefan sitting in the middle of the table. Surrounding them were Bonnie, Jeremy, Caroline, and Tyler. He noticed that Damon was not sitting at the table. Instead, he was sitting on the couch gloomily. Alaric turned to look at him questioningly.

"Oh you see, I'm not allowed in the meeting. Very l _ogical_ to not let the guy who is cursed into the meeting that is supposedly being held to help him." He had his usual smirk on.

Before Alaric could respond to Damon, Caroline interrupted him.

"Alaric, it's good to see you." She said cheerfully.

"You too." He nodded. He saw Damon rolling his eyes behind the book that he was holding.

"I see you've already met the grumpy old cat." Alaric could've sworn that Damon had stuck his tongue out a bit.

"Watch it, Barbie." Damon warned and went back to his book.

"Everyone's waiting for you in the kitchen." She said and led him to the kitchen.

Upon his arrival, the chatting stopped. Jeremy looked up from the conversation that he was having with Bonnie and smiled. Both him and Bonnie greeted him and then went back to their conversation. Tyler said, "Hey man" and nodded at Alaric when he came in the kitchen. Once everyone was settled around the table, Stefan began the meeting.

"So we all know what this meeting is about." He stated in his serious voice. No matter what, Stefan was the one who was always serious. As Caroline liked to point out, he never stopped wearing his "brooding face."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Bonnie's is going to do a locator spell to try to find the witch that placed the curse." He said and then sat down next to Elena. Alaric looked over to Bonnie and saw that her fingers were linked with Jeremy's.  _Well that's new._  He thought and then went back to listening to the conversation.

"What?!" Jeremy exclaimed suddenly alarm.

"It's just a locator spell, I'll be fine." Bonnie reassured Jeremy.

"Are you sure?" He asked her worriedly.

"Jeremy, I'm a witch. I know what I'm doing." She said and rolled her eyes.

"Alright. But if anything, you should tell us." He said and Bonnie rolled her eyes once again but sighed and said, "okay."

While they were talking, Alaric noticed that Damon had entered the kitchen and was currently pouring some blood into a mug. He guessed that Damon had sensed being watched because he turned around, smirked, and said, "Oh don't mind, me."

Damon took his mug of blood and exited the room.

"Uh, Ric?" Bonnie said questioningly. Alaric looked and noticed that everyone left the table to give her space.

"Oh, uh..sorry." He got up and went to stand near Elena and Stefan.

Bonnie spread out a map of the town and mixed ingredients specified for the spell. After mixing the ingredients, she raised her arms above bowl and began to chant undecipherable phrases.

Alaric looked around and noticed that everyone seemed to be holding their breath and looked like they were in focus. If the situation wasn't serious, Alaric would've thought it to be funny.

As Bonnie kept chanting the spell, her arms began to shake. Blood was oozing out of her nose. Jeremy tried to stop her by shaking her. He didn't succeed, of course not, when would anything in their lives be that simple?

After what seemed forever, Bonnie opened her eyes and said, "It's done." She then collapsed on the floor and the thud of her fall matched the sound that came from the living room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:Please review.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from writing this story.

Alaric raced to the living room to see what had occurred. He had forgotten momentarily that Bonnie just collapsed in front of him.  _Damon, I need to find Damon_. That was the only thought that raced through his mind.

When he got to the living room, the scene that he saw made his insides crawl. Damon was convulsing on the floor; one hand holding his stomach. He was also holding his head in the same fashion he had a few days ago. This, however, seemed to be a worse scenario, Alaric noted as he saw the blood exuding out of Damon's mouth.

Immediately, he called for Stefan's help. Stefan helped Alaric pick Damon up and they carried him into his room. After Damon yelled in pain, Alaric caught himself trying to soothe his pain by saying, "shh, it's okay." He noticed the knowing look Stefan was giving him. He simply ignored it and kept on walking.

Damon was gently laid on his bed. That however didn't stop his shouts or the seemingly never-ending blood oozing out of his mouth. Stefan told Alaric that he had to get going and asked if Alaric would be alright with handling Damon. Alaric guessed that he must've had a shocked expression on his face because Stefan further explained.

"Elena and I have to get to class and Tyler has to get to work. Caroline is going to be in the other room with Bonnie and Jeremy." Amongst all the chaos, Alaric forgot what time of the day it was.

"Is she okay?" He asked. Damon's screaming seemed to stop but he was still clutching his stomach.

"She's breathing." Stefan merely said.

"Well, that's a start." He said trying to lighten the mood.

Either Stefan was too tired or too affected by current events because he didn't reply at all. He said that Bonnie would be better soon and then left.

"Ric?" Damon's voice was soft and quiet.

"Yeah, it's me." He said.

"What are you doing here?" Damon asked.

"You fell so Stefan and I had to carry you up the stairs."

"No, Ric, what are you doing here?" Damon tried to raise his head but found that he was still in pain so he just laid back down.

"What do you mean?" Alaric was confounded.

"You said you never wanted to see me again." Damon said.

"That was a long time ago, Damon and I don't think now is the right time for this conversation."

"What do you mean a long time ago, Ric? That happened like two days ago." Damon looked confused.  _No God, please not this!_  Alaric prayed.

"Damon, what day do you think it is?" Alaric asked gently.

"It's Saturday." He said matter-of-factly.

"And what year do you think is?" Alaric asked anxiously.

"It's 2013. What's with the twenty questions? You look green; are you okay, Ric?"

Alaric didn't know how to respond. What was he going to do? He needed to think quickly.

"Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you? And didn't you say you were going to leave town?" Damon asked.

Not many things scared Damon. But Alaric pacing back and forth manically was going to be added on that list.

"Okay Damon, I need you to listen to me. Today's Monday and we're in the year 2019."

"Are you fucking with me?" Damon had finally managed to pick his head up and sat up. His stomach hurt but he wasn't sure why. He was going to blame it on hunger.

"Damon, does your stomach hurt?" Alaric. He asked, concern written all over his face.

"How did you know that? Have you been taking lessons from Sabrina the teenage witch?"

"No Damon, you have to listen me. It's 2019 and you're cursed." Alaric said seriously.

"Cursed with eternally good looks?" Damon wiggled his eyebrows.

"Damon, I'm serious. A witch placed a curse that terminates in your death; that's why your stomach hurts."

"Alright, alright, I get it, no need to yell. So you say I'm cursed?" Damon said.

"Yes, it's called the pain of life. You're supposed to turn human and eventually die."

"Nice way to break the news." Alaric had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. No matter what, Damon was his usual snarky self.

Both of them were engrossed in their thoughts; one sitting on the bed and the other standing in the middle of the room. Damon looked around and noticed that everything was perfectly neat. The neatness didn't match the messiness he felt inside of him.

Suddenly, Damon felt a surge of pain in his stomach. He felt dizzy. He yelled out, "trash can." Alaric managed to get the trashcan in time for Damon to puke out the contents of his stomach.

This kept on going for several minutes. When he was done puking, Damon wiped his mouth with a paper towel and laid back down. He started to welcome the darkness. Sleep was bliss.

His bliss was interrupted by reality.

"Damon, you have to drink." He tried to get Damon to sit up but Damon wasn't being compliant.

"I'm a vampire, don't have to." Damon muttered sleepily.

"Yeah, I don't think you're exactly a normal definition of a vampire being that you just threw up a whole lot of stuff." Just thinking about what had occurred not a few minutes ago made Alaric's stomach queasy.

"Don't care."

"C'mon stop being a child."

"Ugh fine, give me the freaking water bottle." He reached for the bottle and drank most of it in one gulp. After he finished drinking, he welcomed the sleep that overtook him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Please review.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from this story.

Alaric sat on the edge of the bed looking at Damon. He noticed that Damon looked a lot younger in sleep, not only that; Damon looked innocent. He looked like a normal twenty-five year old guy who was just sleeping off his hangover. No matter how much Alaric wished their lives could be that simple, he knew it wasn't ever going to be a possibility. He sighed.

As he was observing Damon, he missed the door opening. Caroline had stepped inside and was wearing a small smile. Alaric realized that he had been staring openly at Damon and averted his eyes.

"Oh don't stop the creepy but cute stalking thing you got going on just because I'm here." She said.

"I wasn't stalking- why are you here? Is everything alright with Bonnie and Jeremy?" He asked

"Oh right, Bonnie woke up and wanted to talk with you. She says that she knows where the witch is and wants to talk to you about that."

"Why me specifically?" Alaric asked curiously. Damon groaned something unintelligible in his sleep.

"I don't know, Ric. I'm just the messenger." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Okay, I'll be right out, can you look after Damon?"

"Of course I can look over your boo!" She exclaimed. He grimaced at the nickname she had given Damon. Thank god Damon was asleep.

"He's not my boo- oh forget it." He realized there was no point in arguing with the young woman. He left the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:Please review


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from this story.

Upon entering the room, he saw Bonnie and Jeremy sitting on the bed. They were talking quietly. He wasn't sure if they were doing that because of Bonnie's recent accident or because they were trying to keep something from the vampires in this house.

"Hey, Ric." Bonnie said and Jeremy nodded.

"Caroline said you wanted to speak to me."

"Yes, I wanted to tell you that I know where the witch is." She stated calmly.

"So where is she?" He asked. Something wasn't right. Why was she talking to him so slowly as if she was going to break some shocking news to him any minute?

"She's in town." Bonnie answered.

"That's great. Let's go hunt the bitch down." He said. Bonnie glanced around the room.

"We can't go." She said.

"Am I missing something?" Alaric noticed the glances that both of them had exchanged.  _Fuck, something was seriously wrong._

"We can't go because then we'd be dead." Jeremy said.

Upon seeing Alaric's confused expression, Bonnie explained Jeremy's statement.

"When I did the locator spell, I managed to find out where she was. But more than that, I heard her say something."

"Which was..?" Alaric asked. The clock in the room seemed to tick louder and louder as he waited for her answer, Alaric wasn't sure if it was just his imagination. 

"She kept muttering, 'the one, the only one'."

"Why does that mean that you can't come?"

"Don't you get it, Ric? You're the only one that is allowed to go to talk to her." Her eyes seemed to water a bit. He wondered if it was a witch thing or if it was her protective side acting up. 

"How do you know she was talking about me?" He asked.

"Witches have a way of knowing who is a significant other." She said.

"Look, that's obviously wrong, Damon and I haven't really been together for six years."

"I know that and I was skeptical about it myself. So I checked my grandma's old spell book to make sure. It said that the phrase 'the one, the only one' is  _only_ meant for a significant other." She said.

"But Damon and I haven't been together for six years." He felt foolish in having to repeat himself.

"It doesn't matter if you guys haven't been together. What matters is that you love each other. You love him, don't you?" Though she said that in a question, he suspected that she already knew the answer.

He didn't deny it, but he didn't conform it either. Deep down, he had known that he never stopped loving Damon. No matter how much he had tried to convince himself that he didn't, he knew it was still there. The love they had shared wasn't pretty; far from for it- but it was love nevertheless. And though neither had voiced their affection, he knew that Damon loved him back. And if what Bonnie said about the whole significant other thing was true, then it meant that Damon still loved him too.

"Alright, tell me the location." He sighed.

As Bonnie gave him the location and wrote the directions on a piece of paper, he looked out the window. He was too caught up in recent events that he hadn't even realized that it was raining. A single droplet of water slid down the window and fell onto the pavement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:Please review.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from this story.

Alaric drove to meet the witch. He wanted to get down to business and ease Damon's pain. Though he had told himself again that he wasn't worried about Damon, per se, but about the effect of his death on Stefan and Elena, he knew deep down that it wasn't true.

Bonnie had given him the directions. He was surprised that her directions led to the Mystic Falls neighborhood park. He expected an evil witch to want to meet in a secluded place, not a public place where her hocus pocus could be witnessed. He hoped that the witch would not try anything. In case of anything, Alaric brought the equipment Bonnie told him would be help him stall the witch.

As he pulled up to a parking space, he looked around and noticed that it was now sunny. The sunny weather wouldn't have been weird, if it were not raining just seconds ago. That was when Alaric was certain that Bonnie's locator spell had worked and that he was in the right place.

He got out of the car and slammed the door shut. Before he left the parking lot, he made sure to lock the door. He didn't want any magic to mess with his car too.

As he walked, the wind picked up the leaves that were previously strewn over the ground. The leaves danced around him, in a circular fashion. As he kept getting closer to the witch, he noticed that that the wind got heavier.

"I wondered when I'd be seeing you, Alaric." Upon first glance, Jane Day appeared to look like an average person out for a walk in the park. However, on closer inspection, one would note that she was anything but normal.

Though she had the body of a young woman, she didn't look young. She looked like she had a couple of hundred years on Alaric. Her eyes, though they shone brightly, looked old. They had seen a lot of things during her lifetime and contained a lot of wisdom. She knew that she would be not be fooled by this man and smirked to herself as she thought of him trying and failing to do that.

"Yeah, well I couldn't wait to find you so that I could finally kill you." He said and curled his hands into fists.

"You're going to kill me? I'd like to see you try." And with that, all of the equipment Alaric had kept in his bags vanished into thin air.

"Don't be so confident." Alaric said and tried to get a weapon out that should've helped him repel the witch. He was surprised to see see that the bag was empty.

"You'll find the weapons where they respectively belong; at your witch's house. Now, let's talk business." She said and crossed her arms.

"You cursed Damon." Alaric simply stated and gave her an accusing look.

"That I did." Jane said. She wondered when this conversation would be over. Humans and their need to stretch out all of their thoughts; just say everything at once.

"So you can change him back?" He asked.

"Of course I can. But that's not the question you wanted to ask me, was it?" He shook his head.

"Now ask me what you really wanted to know." She said and out of thin air, a cigarette appeared out of nowhere and she lit it up with an invisible lighter.

_Witches, go figure._

"Are you going to change him back?" He asked impatiently.

"No." She said and took a drag.

"Why not?" He asked. He wanted to help Stefan and Elena with Damon's problem, but more than that, he wanted to know why this witch had done this to him.

"That disgusting excuse of what used to be a good man deserves it." She said.

"You seem very annoyed by Damon; almost as if this is personal. " He pressed her for answers.

"He broke my sister's heart." She said and looked around the park.

"He breaks a lot of people's hearts."  _Including mine_.

"Yes, well at least he didn't tell them lies to get them in bed and eventually kill them." It did sound like Damon. Getting his victims into his bed had finally caught up to him when he got to a witch.

"So she died and this is your revenge?" He asked.

"No, she didn't die. She told me about that piece of scum and this is  _our_ revenge." She said.

"How is it your revenge?"

"Because my sisters and I are tired of the vampire species always one-stepping us. We are tired of them manipulating our kind and not getting what they deserve."

"But how is this revenge going to work on other vampires?"

"It will show what could happen when they try to mess with witches." For a few minutes, Alaric thought about what she had told him.

"Listen Alaric, though I despise Damon and do not very much like you, I feel like you are genuinely concerned about him and really want to help so I am going to help you." She said and with the snap of her fingers, the cigarette disappeared.

"So you'll stop the curse?" He asked hopefully. He couldn't lie to himself anymore; he wanted Damon to get better and to seem him up and about. He wanted to see Damon  _smiling._

"Of course not." She said.

"But you just said-" He didn't finish his sentence because she interrupted him by placing a thin piece of paper into his hands.. The wind picked up again and Alaric closed his eyes but held the paper tightly. When he opened his eyes, Jane Day was no longer there.

 _Here's your hint, Alaric Saltzman: Bad deeds, not forgotten but forgiven._  The note said.

Alaric kept thinking about the note as he drove back to the boarding house.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:Please review


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from this story.

He walked up the stairs and rang the doorbell. Caroline opened the door on the first ring and the look on her face told him everything he needed to know. He rushed up the stairs to Damon's room.

The shrieks he had heard previously were nothing in comparison to the ones he heard now. Upon entering the room, he saw Damon twisting and turning. Furthermore, Damon was yelling out incoherent phrases. Alaric came close to the bed and was about to the sit at the edge of the bed when he heard footsteps behind me.

"Wouldn't do that if I were you." Caroline had used her vampire speed to get to Damon's room.

Alaric turned around.

"You tried that already?" He asked incredulously. Damon kept screaming.

"No but every time someone tries to get close to him, he kicks them. I'd rather not get close to him, if you know what I'm saying." She tried to give a smile but Alaric could tell that it was fake.

"Oh." Alaric said softly. He felt the strings of his heart being torn apart. He couldn't  _save_ Damon, after all.

Caroline seemed to notice the skeptic look Alaric had on and said, "I'm sure it'll pass eventually. What's the worst thing that can happen?" And with that, Damon fell into a state of oblivion.

"So….. he's sleeping beauty now." Alaric said trying to make the tension less visible.

"And you're his prince." Caroline smirked.

"Oh god, Caroline, don't ever say that again." Alaric rolled his eyes.

"You started it." She glanced at Damon, who was now lightly snoring and added, "I'll go help Bonnie and Jeremy make some dinner, holler if you need anything."

"Sure." Alaric said and laid down next to Damon.

After a while, Damon rolled over and placed his head on Alaric's head, mumbling something indecipherable. And for he first time in over six years, Alaric put his arm around Damon, pulling him in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:Please review


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from this story.

Alaric awoke a few hours later that night. He wasn't sure what exactly had woken up until he heard the terrible screeching coming from the other side of the bed.

Damon's body was trembling. His hands were clinging to his own face, as if they had been glued to it for the rest of the eternity. Alaric shot out of bed and went around the bed, kneeling before Damon.

"What's wrong?" He asked gently, trying to pry Damon's hands off of his face. After a few seconds, he managed to achieve the task. He noticed that tears had welled up in Damon's eyes. Damon was still shaking though.

"Head hurts." Damon said sniffling. Alaric swept some of Damon's hair to the side and put his clammy hand on Damon's forehead.

"You're hot." Alaric said retrieving his hand.

"Gotta admit, that's not the first time I got that compliment thrown at me." Damon commented.

"How you manage to be your snarky self even when you're unwell is beyond me." Alaric said smiling.

"You _love_  it." Damon said and winked. And then, then, Damon smiled. His smile wasn't the half-ass smirk he usually had on; it was genuine. His eyes were shining brightly. For several minutes, they stared at each other; their eyes speaking the words that they could not dare to allow themselves to say aloud.

When Alaric remembered how they got to this point, Alaric's smile fell within seconds and he whispered, "I think you have a fever, Damon."

"I'm going to go get a thermometer and some Tylenol. You want some blood?" He added.

Damon nodded, wiping his eyes. Alaric then helped him settle back in bed.

Leaving the room, Alaric thought back on Damon's comment.  _I do love it, God, do I love it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: PLease review. Thank You.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from this story.

After several minutes, Alaric returned with the thermometer, Tylenol, and two blood bags; the extra one in case of an emergency. After deciding that Damon did in fact have a fever, Alaric gave him the Tylenol pills. After a while, Damon's fever had gone down and he fell asleep.

A few hours later, Alaric awoke to Damon mumbling something over and over again. He turned over and noticed that Damon was talking in his sleep.

"What is it, Damon?" Alaric shook Damon out of his sleep.

"Thirsty." Damon croaked.

Alaric reached for the water bottle standing on his nightstand but Damon grabbed his hand and shook his head. Damon nodded to the right side of the nightstand.  _Oh._  Alaric reached for the blood bag and passed it to Damon.

Damon grabbed the bag, sat up, and devoured the blood within seconds. Alaric smiled at the fact that Damon's love for blood hadn't changed and that he was still comfortable around Alaric to show his vamped-out face.

True love never conceals the ugliness that is otherwise covered up.

Alaric's smile, however, disappeared after a few seconds. Damon was coughing.

"Shit, shit!" Alaric moved closer to Damon.

Damon kept coughing and started to hack up blood. Alaric started hitting his back and as he was readying himself to do the heimlich maneuver, Damon spoke.

"I'm going to puke." Damon said still coughing a bit. Alaric shot out of bed and ran for the trashcan. Alaric got there just in time for Damon to empty out the contents of his stomach.

After awhile, Damon wiped his mouth and settled back down into the bed. Alaric followed. After a few minutes of silence, Damon cleared his throat.

"I would presume that I have completely transitioned back into a human." Damon gave a weak smile and added, "Never thought I was going to say that." 

"I think you need to eat real food now." Alaric stated ignoring Damon's sarcasm.

"I'm not hungry." Damon said stubbornly.

"Damon,  _please_." The urgency was audible in Alaric's voice.

"Okay." Damon agreed. Alaric left the room then.

After heating up some chicken soup, he returned with a big bowl and some crackers. He put the tray down on the nightstand. He helped Damon sit up and propped the pillows up. He put the tray on Damon's lap and then went over to the other side of the bed. Alaric climbed into bed and turned on the TV.

The two men sat next to each other in a comfortable silence. They didn't really care for what was being said on the TV as they did for each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Please review. I would really like to know your opinion. Thank You.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from this story

Chapter sixteen

Once Damon finished eating and the tray was set aside, he fluffed his pillows, settled down and closed his eyes. Alaric, getting the hint, turned the TV off. He got under the covers and slipped an arm around Damon's waist.

Alaric threaded his fingers through Damon's hair and cleared his throat. Damon turned over and opened his eyes.

"We'll figure something out." Alaric spoke softly.

"You're kidding yourself, Ric. This shit is going to eat me alive."

"Quit talking like you got cancer." Alaric said.

"Don't worry, a few more days and you won't have to hear me talk at all." Damon yawned.

"Stop it, Damon." Alaric pleaded.

"It's true though. I'll be dead soon anyway." Damon said flatly.

"Damon, we're going to fix this." Alaric said seriously.

"There's nothing left to fix. I just want you to know I'm sorry." Damon stated loudly.

"Damon-" Alaric started.

"I'm sorry for what I did to you. You didn't deserve it." Damon said.

"Damon, I-" Alaric tried again.

"I just want you to know that I'm so sorry for what I put you through." Damon said and rolled over.

"Damon, it's-" Alaric noticed that Damon had fallen asleep within seconds.

* * *

_It was a chilly September evening; the leaves strewn all over the ground and the sweater-clad arms signified fall. The boarding house in which two brothers lived was mostly dark; only one light was turned on._

_The older one was pacing back and forth. Next to him, his lover lay lifeless on the carpet. Scratch that, his ex-lover. As Damon was pacing, he hadn't noticed his pesky little brother entering the room._ _"What did you do now?" Stefan asked, not surprised. His brother had a knack for screwing up things._

_"I might've snapped Ric's neck." Damon whispered looking down on Alaric. He prayed that the ring was working._

_"You don't just go around snapping peoples' necks, Damon!" Stefan exclaimed._

_"I know, I-" Damon started to say._

_"Especially the ones you fucking love." Stefan interrupted._

_"Stefan, I-" Damon didn't know what to say._

_"And the ones you plan to spend forever with." Stefan continued to rant._

_"I get it, Stefan. I fucked up. What else do you want to me to say?" Damon said._

_"You know that he's probably never going to forgive you?" Stefan asked._

_"I know." Damon said softly. He didn't want to think of that though. Maybe they'd work something out, he couldn't imagine himself without Alaric._

_"Why'd you do it anyway?" Stefan crossed his arms._

_"That stupid psycho bitch doctor was giving him ideas on how to turn us into rainbow-loving vamps and I wasn't really on board with that." Damon said._

_"Really, Damon?" Stefan asked._

_"Yes." Damon said looking around the room._

_"Damon?" Stefan knew his brother._

_"Okay, maybe I exaggerated but whatever. How we live our lives shouldn't be her fucking concern." Damon said._

_"So you decided to snap Ric's neck for suggesting alternate methods?" Stefan asked._

_"Well when you put it that way…" Damon said._

_"It sound stupid and childish, doesn't it, Damon?" Stefan had a small smile on his face, though there was nothing funny to smile about._

_"Shit, Stefan, I really fucked up it, didn't I?" Damon whispered._

_"Good job, Damon." Stefan rolled his eyes._

_Alaric's hands were twitching, indicating that he was going to take his first breath soon._

_"Well I better go, good luck, Damon." Stefan said and within seconds he was out the door. Probably going to see Elena._

_Alaric took a deep breath and after a few seconds, he sat up. He looked around the room and then noticed Damon. Damon kneeled down and tried to give Alaric a hand._

_"Don't touch me, Damon." Alaric said._

_"Ric, I-" Damon started to say._

_"You killed me, Damon, you fucking killed me." Alaric stated, some tears had escaped his eyes. He wiped at them and got up._

_"I'm sorry, I just wasn't thinking."_

_"That's the problem, Damon. You never think."_

_"How can I make it better?" He couldn't bear the thought of losing Alaric._

_"You can't." Alaric simply stated._

_"I'm so sorry, RIc." Damon said reaching his hand out to Alaric._

_"You're not sorry and stop calling me that. My name is Alaric." Alaric swatted at Damon's hand._

_"I am, God am I sorry. I'll be making up to you the rest of my eternal life." Damon said._

_"That's too late for that, you won't see me after tonight." Alaric said sternly._

_"Ric, please. I'll do anything!" Damon said._

_"Don't you get it, Damon? There's nothing you can do to make this right. You're violent, cruel, and heartless." Alaric said heatedly._

_"Ric, you don't mean that." Damon whispered softly._

_"I do. Now please move out of the way so I can go pack my stuff."_

_After a few minutes, Alaric left to gather his stuff leaving Damon in the middle of the living room. And as Alaric walked out of the boarding house forever, Damon's heart shattered into a billion different pieces._

* * *

Alaric jolted out of the memory. He rolled over and got as close to Damon as he could.

"You're none of those things, Damon. You're warm and you give so much love and I know that sometimes that's what messes you up in the end."

Damon muttered something in his sleep.

"I'm sorry that I realized it too late. I forgive you Damon. I forgave you a long time ago." Alaric continued his speech.

Damon rolled over and put his face right onto Alaric's chest. Alaric smiled.

"I'm so sorry that this had to happen to you. I hope you realize that I never stopped loving you, Damon. I hope you'll forgive me for all this shit you've been forced to go through." One teardrop ran down Alaric's face.

Outside the room, lighting struck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Please review. Thank You.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from this story.

Alaric smiled down at Damon, whose head was positioned on Alaric's chest. His smile quickly vanished when he noticed that Damon was still. Alaric realized that Damon wasn't breathing. Alaric shook him.

"Wake up, wake up, you stupid son of a bitch." He kept shaking him and tried to revive him.

Nothing was working. Alaric started to scream and was sure that his screaming had woken up the population of half of Mystic Falls. He didn't give a damn, though, as he kept trying to get Damon to wake up.

He guessed that his shouting had alerted the residents of the Boarding House seeing as Stefan and Elena had appeared besides him.

"What happened?" Stefan said worriedly as he rushed to his brother's side.

"I don't know. We were sleeping and then he suddenly stopped breathing." Alaric couldn't stop cradling Damon.

"Ric, I need to step away from my brother." Stefan said.

"No." Alaric held his ground.

"Please, Ric. I can help him." Stefan pleaded.

"I'm not leaving him."

"I'm not asking for you to leave him. I just need to get closer."

Alaric still hadn't moved.

This time Elena spoke. "Please, Ric, we want to help." She looked up with a pleading look.

After a few seconds, Alaric went reluctantly.

Stefan inspected Damon's body closely.

"Call Bonnie." Stefan announced after a few minutes.

"What?" Alaric whispered.

Elena, bless her, wasted no time and dialed Bonnie's number within seconds.

"What do you want me to tell her?" Elena asked.

"Tell her to come over. And tell her to hurry." Realizing that his tone was a bit harsh, he softened his eyes and gently said, "Please, baby."

Elena nodded and quickly told Bonnie everything. Elena hung up and said, "She'll be here in a few minutes." She looked at Stefan sitting by Damon's side and wiped her eyes. She moved quickly and sat down next to Stefan and took his hand. She whispered something into Stefan's ear; Alaric couldn't hear what but he didn't think it mattered. Stefan nodded and gave her a small smile.

Alaric realized that he wasn't the only one affected by Damon's current situation. He moved closer to them and sat on the other side of Damon. He swept Damon's bangs to the side and threaded his fingers through his hair.

"Why did you want to call Bonnie?" Alaric asked Stefan.

"She can help us." Stefan turned and looked at Alaric.

"How?" Alaric said.

"She can get Damon out of this state." Stefan said calmly.

"What do you mean,  _state_? He's not fucking breathing!" Alaric yelled.

"Actually, he is breathing."

"How do you know?" Alaric asked skeptically.

Stefan turned around completely so that he was facing Alaric.

"Okay, so you know all that bullshit with blood brothers and soul mates?" Stefan asked.

"You mean how that shit about them being connected?"

"Yes." Stefan said.

"So what, you and Damon are connected?" Alaric asked curiously.

"Yes."

"But that would mean you guys are soul mates. Aren't soul mates romantically involved?"

Stefan laughed. "Man, that's so gross. Please don't mention my brother's name and mine in the same sentence with the words, "soul mate" or "romantically involved."

Glancing at Alaric's confused face, Stefan sighed and said, "Damon and I are blood brothers."

"What does that mean?" Alaric asked.

"Well, Damon and I share the same blood because of our parents, right? So after we became vampires, this witch, Emily put a spell on us."

"And that spell…" Alaric urged Stefan to continue.

"Made us connected. Whenever Damon was in serious danger, I would feel it."

"But I've seen you guys in dangerous situations and it didn't affect both of you."

"Exactly. The spell only works in severe situations." Stefan elaborated.

"Such as this one." Alaric finished.

"Yeah, that's why I could tell that he wasn't completely dead." Stefan said.

"But Ric, you know that soul mate part I was talking about?" Stefan continued.

"Yeah, what about it?" Alaric asked. He yawned. It seemed it would be a very long time before he got any sleep in this town.

"Well, you do know who's his soul mate, right?" Stefan asked. There seemed to be a teasing tone in his voice. Apparently Alaric hadn't sensed it.

"Who is it?" Alaric clenched his hands into fists. Being a vampire, not many things had scared Stefan but Stefan could verify that in this moment he was a bit frightened. At least both Salvatores could agree on one thing: Alaric Saltzman could scare the living crap out of anyone with just one stare.

"Easy, tiger. It's you, Ric." Stefan smirked, a gesture Alaric guessed he had picked up from Damon.

"Oh." Alaric seemed to calm down.

"I'm surprised. I thought Bonnie had mentioned this to you."

"I did." All three occupants of the room turned their heads at the sound of the newcomer.

"I did tell him." Bonnie repeated.

"Now let's see if we can fix this problem." And with that, she marched over to Damon's body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Happy Season 5! What did you guys think of the premiere? The Originals? Anyway, please review. I would like to get a review that states what you don't like about this fic. The plot, the character development, the grammar, the syntax etc..? Please state what you would like to be changed and how you would change it if you were the author. Getting good reviews is great but getting constructive criticism is better and more helpful. Therefore, please review and I'll update sooner.
> 
> Thank You,
> 
> sweetandnasty27
> 
> P.S.I have gone back and edited all of the chapters. I am working on the next chapter right now. I would like to get a review from anyone who is reading this story. Please tell me what you do and don't like. I would really like to receive constructive criticism so that I can learn what I should change in this story. I do know how many people view my story and let's just that there are way more views than reviews. I would really like to change that. The more reviews I get, the faster I will upload. That's a promise. :)


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from this story.

Bonnie asked Elena, Stefan, and Alaric to get up from the bed as she got closer. They complied and quickly got up.

Bonnie knelt down besides the bed and gently rolled Damon over so that he was now on his back. She raised her hands and began to mutter indecipherable Latin phrases.

She started to speak louder and louder. As her chant continued, Damon's body started to convulse, shake, and do everything that Alaric had been forced to witness these past few weeks.

It was as if Alaric's nightmare was coming true. He couldn't bear to look at Damon any longer and was considering walking out of the room when Damon started screaming. He couldn't stand seeing Damon in pain.

"What the fuck are you doing to him?" He yelled harshly and started moving toward Bonnie in a dangerous and an alarming way when something, or rather someone managed to stop him.

"Ric, please." Elena came between him and Bonnie.

He looked between Stefan and Elena's concerned faces and stepped back down.

His calmness lasted for a few seconds before Damon yelled, "Ric" and moved his hand, as if he was searching for another; like a puzzle waiting for that last piece to finally be complete.

And with the speed of lighting, Alaric was at Damon's side, intertwining his fingers with Damon's. He didn't care what Stefan or Elena or anyone, for that matter, thought. He just wanted to be by his baby and as funny and ironic as it sounded that a 173- year old vampire could be considered anyone's baby, Damon was once Alaric's baby and would always be Alaric's baby, no matter what. Neither age nor species mattered to Alaric.

"I'm here, baby. I'm not leaving you, I promise." He whispered in Damon's ear.

Alaric kept talking.

"Isn't it funny, Damon? Death keeps bringing us back together. Aren't we a bunch of fucked up badasses? Though I suppose you would agree, you did call us Team Badass. You remember that? God, that was such a long time ago, Damon. Funny how quickly time goes by." Alaric kept rambling. He ignored the tears that there were running down his cheeks and the secret glances that Elena and Stefan were sharing and just kept talking.

Bonnie interrupted his rant and said, "He's going to be fine."

Elena and Stefan gave out a sigh of relief. Alaric, though noticing Bonnie's pained expression, realized that it was far from over.

"There's a condition, isn't there? There's  _always_  a condition."

Bonnie nodded.

"Well what is it?" Alaric asked growing impatient. The man he loved was slowly dying; he couldn't afford to waste more time.

"He has to feed on your blood. The blood of his significant other will cure him." She said.

"Okay, I'll agree to that." He said.

She averted her eyes.

"There's something else, isn't there?" He was growing suspicious.

She nodded.

"Spit it out, Bonnie."

"You have to be turned."

Bonnie's statement earned her two sharp gasps from the two conscious vampires.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Please review. Thank You.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from this story.

"Okay." Alaric said without hesitation.

"Ric." Elena said warningly.

"Maybe you want some time to think about it?" Stefan asked raising his eyebrows.

"No, I'll give him the blood and then I can turn." Alaric said firmly.

"Are you sure, Ric?" Elena said and crossed her eyes.

"Elena, it's Damon…" He started but was interrupted.

"It's your life too, Ric!" She yelled.

"'Lena." Stefan whispered under his breath.

"Look, I didn't have a choice, Ric. All I'm saying is that if I were you, I would think about it before going through with it." She looked out of the window. It wasn't yet completely dark outside but it was getting darker.

"I can't, Elena."

"Ric.." Elena began to stay.

"He's dying, I can't, I just can't do that to him." His voice cracked.

"Okay." Elena said but it was evident from the look on her face that it was anything but okay.

"So before I give him my blood and I get turned into a vampire, there's one thing I want to know." He turned his head in Bonnie's direction.

"Sure, anything."

"I would like to know why I have to be turned." simply said.

"Jane Day didn't just want to punish Damon; she wanted to punish you as well." Bonnie said sighing.

"Why me?"

"I don't know. All I know is that when I did the spell, it told me that the soul-mate has to be turned."

"Oh." Alaric said quietly still feeling a bit dumfounded.

After a few minutes, Bonnie cut Alaric's hand with magic upon request, and then placed it on Damon's mouth.

Within seconds, the shift in Damon was evident. At first, Damon was drinking slowly but then increased his speed and the viciousness.

Finally, he opened his eyes and bared his fangs. His face was vamped-out; black veins running up and down under his eyes. His eyes seemed to be hazed over; Alaric wasn't sure if it was hunger or lust or maybe both.

Damon's face went back to normal within seconds when he noticed that he wasn't the only occupant in the room.

They all stared at each other, not knowing what to say. Stefan broke the silence.

"How do you feel, bro?"

"First of all, Stefan, only I get to call you that-" Stefan rolled his eyes at that. "And second of all, very very thirsty."

Damon bared his fangs, one would think that he was trying to scare the occupants of the room but he was most likely trying to get what he wanted, which was probably more blood. Elena got the message and she and Bonnie went to get some blood bags.

The silence in the room and the extreme brooding face of Stefan caught his attention.

He quickly sat up and said, "What- What's wrong?"

"Damon." Alaric said gently. In all of this madness, Damon had forgotten that Alaric was still here.

"I'm a big boy. You can tell me."

"Youhavetoturnme." Though Alaric had hurriedly said that, it was pretty obvious what it was that he had just said to Damon.

Damon whipped his head so frantically it would've been comical if the situation was not so serious and quickly said, "No."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Please review. The more reviews I get, the faster I'll update. Thank You.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from this story.

Dropping that bombshell apparently hadn't been enough for Damon. After bluntly expressing his opinion, Damon had run out of his room; almost knocking down Elena and Bonnie as they came in.

Both Elena and Bonnie had questioning looks to which Alaric answered, "He said no."

Bonnie and sighed and Elena said, "Oh, Ric."

He ignored them and turned to Stefan.

"Where do you think he went?"

"Probably the garden. He likes to go there to think." Stefan said and within seconds, Alaric was out of the door running down the stairs only to be stopped by Stefan.

He turned around and questioningly looked at Stefan.

"Just-just be careful, Ric. I know my brother and I don't want you to get hurt."

Alaric nodded and then continued to walk until he found the door to the garden.

He found Damon sitting on a bench; his shoulders hunched and his legs crossed. He sat down next to him and didn't say anything for a while.

When he laid his head on Damon's shoulder, he noticed that Damon's body was shaking. He pulled Damon into his arms and pretended not to feel the wetness on his neck.

After a while, Damon calmed down and withdrew himself from the hug. He wiped his eyes and as he spoke, he looked into another direction.

"I don't want you to leave." Damon's voice cracked.

"Is this- this is what's concerning you? Because, I have news for you, Damon, you're kind of stuck with me."

"It's just, what if you don't like it? Or what if you turn out to be a ripper like Stefan?" Damon whispered quietly.

"Then we'll deal with it together."

"Yeah?" Damon turned to look at him.

"I, Alaric Saltzman, promise to you, Damon Salvatore, that I will never leave you again no matter what." He said and added, "Besides how could I? I don't think I'd find anyone else with a fine ass like that."

Damon laughed. His face turned serious within seconds though and he said, "So where do you want to do this?"

"I guess your bedroom would suffice."

"You kinky little bastard. Have you been having dreams about this?"

Alaric laughed and shook his head. Then he added, "Maybe just a little."

They walked back to Damon's room together, no space between them. Upon seeing their return, Elena marched up to Damon and yelled, "How  _dare_  you? You've been miserable these past years, heck maybe even your whole life and you're letting the best thing that has happened to you walk away?"

"Elena." Damon said softly.

"And for what? You want to fulfill your wish of dying? Well, I have news for you, we've all had those moments. God knows I have and let me tell you something-" Her eyes flashed dangerously.

"Elena." He tried again.

"I was never determined to give up on everything. I never gave up and neither should you."

"He said yes." Alaric stated interrupting Elena's inner-thoughts.

"What?" She asked quietly.

"While you were here planning your world-dominating speech, Alaric and I talked and we've decided." Damon turned to look at Alaric.

"Damon's going to turn me." Alaric filled in for Damon.

"I-wow." Elena was dumfounded.

Stefan nodded but Bonnie, clearly the most sensible in the room, asked, "So…when are you going to do it?"

Damon turned to look at Alaric questioningly.

"I guess now." Alaric said.

"Oh okay." She said.

Half an hour later, after recovering from the shocking and overwhelming news, Stefan, Bonnie and Elena left.

Damon and Alaric finally had the room to themselves.

"Are you ready?" Damon asked gently.

"As I'll ever be." Alaric said and within a few minutes, there was nothing but silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:Please review. Thank You. 
> 
> P.S. There is only one more chapter to go.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and am not making any money from this story.

The chilly weather signified the end of the summer yet it didn't feel like the end for neither the occupants of the boarding house nor for their friends. More than anything, it was a beginning.

Alaric was getting dressed when Damon walked in, tossed a blood bag at him, and sat down on the bed smiling slyly. Alaric caught it on reflex and raised an eyebrow.

"Got the last ones for us." Damon smirked waving his unopened bag.

"You're telling me that a house full of vampires is out of blood-bags?" Alaric asked incredulously.

"Not all of us need the blood-bags." Damon shrugged his shoulders.

"True." As Alaric looked out of the window, the wind picked up but within seconds, the sun had come out again. Alaric wished his blood-urges could be as easily controlled as the day's weather. He sighed.

Though he hadn't become a full ripper like Stefan, he did have a lot of problems controlling his thirst in the beginning and it was decided that it was best for him to use blood-bags.

"Don't worry; I doubt Stefan will mind." Damon said knowingly. Sometimes it amazed Alaric how insightful Damon could be.

"You sure?"

"Even if I wasn't sure, I'd still let you have these blood-bags." Damon said and then his eyes turned mischievous. "And nothing beats seeing Stefan squirm and uncomfortable."

"It baffles me how even on his wedding day, you're still intent on making his life miserable." Alaric said.

Damon laughed and said, "Hey, I'm manipulative and sneaky. It is after all my job."

"That's my Damon." Alaric joined in the laughter and pushed Damon down on the bed. He straddled Damon's hips and leaned in for a kiss when Damon held up his hands and said, "Wait."

Damon sat up and started to open all of the drawers in his nightstand; frantically searching for something. One would say that Alaric's face had an "Are-you-fucking-kidding-me" expression while Damon rummaged through the drawers.

"Damon, I'd like to let you remind that we were doing _something_ , something that you usually enjoy very much."

"Aha." Damon smiled triumphantly as he held a small box.

Alaric rolled his eyes but had to admit that Damon's triumphant expression was cute.

"Now that you're done being crazy, can we get back to what we were doing?"

Damon knelt down on one knee and opened the ring box.

" _Holy shit_." Alaric gasped.

"Not the reaction I was hoping for." Damon said teasingly.

"Shut up." Alaric said and punched Damon lightly in the arm.

Damon cleared his throat and started, "Alaric, I-" It seemed that Damon was at a loss for words.

Alaric swung his legs over the bed so that he was now facing Damon, and said, "Go on."

"I love you, Ric, so fucking much. And I want you to know that I realize how stupid I was before and that I'll be making it up to you the rest of our lives. I want to thank you for not giving up on me and for that, I want you to have this." He held up the ring.

"Thought we could make it official. So... what do you say?" Damon finished his speech.

"Is sex part of the deal?" Alaric smirked.

"Duh, Ric, why do you think I'm in this relationship?" Damon waggled his eyebrows.

They both laughed but their laughter soon turned into silence.

"God, I love you, Damon." Alaric said suddenly.

"So is that a yes?"

"Of course it's a yes."

And then Damon pushed him back on the bed and kissed him until there wouldn't have been any breath left had he been a human.  _Thank god_ , he was a vampire.

Damon started to tug at Alaric's shirt and the world outside was soon forgotten.

* * *

Some time later, Alaric looked up at the clock and noticed the time.

"Fuck." He said.

"What is it?" Damon yawned.

"We're going to be late to the wedding if we don't get dressed soon." Alaric started to get up only to be stopped by an arm snaking around his waist.

Damon kissed his shoulder and worked his way up to his neck. Alaric sighed dreamily but removed Damon's arm and said, "Damon, we have to get up, we're going to miss your brother's wedding."

"We all have an eternity; they can have a wedding any time they want."

" _Damon_." Alaric said narrowing his eyes.

"Oh all right." Damon rolled his eyes, casted a wishful glance at the bed, and then got up.

"Maybe we'll have time for a quickie if we get dressed quickly." Damon suggested.

From his room, Stefan yelled, "I heard that. Can you please keep the volume down?"

Then, a crash could be heard followed by a, "shit."

"Guess the groom's a bit nervous, huh?" Alaric asked putting his suit on.

"I'll go to him. I am after all the best man." He was at the door when Alaric stopped him and said, "Maybe we could mention our news another time?"

"I mean…it  _is_  their wedding day." He added hesitantly.

"I'm not that stupid, Ric. I don't want to steal Elena's and Stefan's fun either." Damon assured Alaric.

Alaric nodded and Damon was about to go through the door. Before he could leave, though, Alaric tugged him down for another kiss.

"You keep kissing me like that and we might never leave."

Alaric laughed.

* * *

The wedding turned out to be over-the-top amazing. It wasn't really shocking, seeing as the co-planners were Caroline and Rebekkah. The guests were more intrigued as to how they managed not to kill each other and plan such a beautiful wedding. Both girls just laughed and said that times were different now.

Later, while, Damon had gone to talk to some of his old pals, someone caught Alaric's eye.

He thought he was imagining her but within seconds, she was in front of him. Jane Day was at the after-party.

"So you're not a human anymore." She concluded upon first glance.

"No I suppose not. But you knew that, didn't you?" He asked her.

"Course I did."

"Then why ask?" Alaric was curious.

"Just making sure." She took a sip of her drink.

"So I'd like to know one thing."

"Hit me." She said seriously.

"Why did I have to be turned?" He asked her; concern and curiosity etched in his voice.

"Couldn't have you running out on Damon, now could I?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't- I would never-"

"No… I guess you wouldn't but you would grow old and it'd be the same thing, now wouldn't it?"

"I don't-"

"I see you're still as clueless. Let me spell it out for you: you'd die and he'd go back to wrecking havoc as he always does to hide his feelings." Jane Day rolled her eyes.

"I-oh." He said quietly.

"While you're thinking this over, I'm going to go dance. It's not every day a witch gets to enjoy such a  _glamorous_  party."

And with that, Jane Day was gone.

Damon was headed toward him with a drink and a smile that suggested to him he had too much to drink.

"Hey sexy, are you here with anyone?" Damon slurred.

"Well that depends."

"On what?" Damon waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Alaric laughed.

"Well you see I came here with such a charming beautiful man. I wonder what he'd think if I danced with someone else. Wouldn't want to hurt his feelings."

"God, Ric, you're such a sap." Damon rolled his eyes. He put his drink down and held out his hand and said, "Dance with me?" His voice was gentler and didn't hold any signs of silliness it had contained earlier.

"I'd love to."

They danced to different songs; slow and fast and some that were a mix. They didn't care about the song choices, they were with each other and that was all that mattered to them.

Damon, did however, comment on the girliness of one of the songs to Caroline but she just rolled her eyes and got back to dancing with Tyler.

During one song, Stefan and Elena managed to bump into them. Glancing at Stefan's drunkenly hazed eyes and too-bright-smile, Damon said, "I see that somebody's already a bit drunk."

To confirm his statement, Stefan leaned closer and asked, "Who… who is it, Damon?"

Before Damon could respond, Stefan yelled, "I fucking love my wife."

"Yeah, I suppose that is how it usually works, you know? The groom loves the bride and vice versa." Damon teased his little brother but it was obvious from the look on his face that Damon was quite happy for both of them.

"Though I'd love to stay and have philo.. philoso.. philosphical, that's the word, discussions with you, I've got to go. Don't want to lose my wife in this crowd." Stefan looked around, trying to find Elena, but Elena, who apparently wasn't as badly intoxicated, laughed, and waved her hands in front of Stefan.

"Oh there you are, my lady." Stefan said and sloppily kissed Elena.

Elena laughed again and then said, "We're going to go talk to the other guests. See you guys around." She said and Stefan followed her but before he left, he turned and yelled, "See ya."

He kissed his fingers and made a peace sign gesturing at Damon and Alaric.

"Guess they're having fun." Alaric said.

"A bit too much fun. Can't wait for tomorrow when they're going to be so hung-over that I'm going to have to drive them to the airport." Damon rolled his eyes.

"I can go with you." Alaric wrapped his hands around Damon's waist and rested his head upon Damon's shoulder.

"No it's fine." Damon was silent for a moment. Then as an after-thought, he added, "I hope they'll be safe."

Alaric picked his head up and looked into Damon's eyes. " _Damon_."

"Don't want them to have the faith as Klaus does." Damon motioned his head at the ancient hybrid sitting next to Tyler.

Alaric looked over at Klaus and heard that Klaus was now gloomily sharing his baby stories. Klaus kept rolling his eyes while Hayley kept telling stories of how their baby did this and that and once he even put his arm around Tyler and said, "Now let me tell you, mate, being a father is _exhausting_."

Hayley smacked his arm and Klaus immediately straightened up. It was a comical scene; a thousand-year old hybrid taking orders from such a young woman.

"Don't think that Stefan and Elena are capable of doing that, if you know what I mean?" Alaric said and Damon's facial features scrunched up and said, "Didn't need that image in my head."

Alaric laughed heartily but then said, "At least they're bonding and not trying to kill each other." Alaric glanced back to their table and noticed that Tyler was laughing at something Klaus had said. In addition to that, Caroline seemed to be bonding with Hayley.

"Will you look at that; world peace happening right in front of us." Damon said. "I don't think that the world's ready for little Stefans running around, though."

Alaric rolled his eyes but then smiled softly. A slow song started, and Alaric put his arms back around Damon.

They danced all night. Even when the party was over and most of the guests had left, Damon and Alaric were still dancing in the middle of the dance floor. They didn't hear or see anyone besides each other and they were okay with that. They'd deal with their problems the following day but for now, they were content with just being in each other's arms.

_When we dance, Angels will run and hide their wings._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> I can't believe this story is finally completed. Thank You to all of those who reviewed this story. This story wouldn't have been finished without you. So what did you guys think? How was it? Please review.
> 
> P.S. The last line is a quote from Sting's song, "When we dance." It is not mine and I am not making money from using that quote in this story.


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